Sterling Holloway in Frank Capra's Hemo The Magnificent (1957)

This is another post suggested by my friend Carol. It's part of a series of films made for television in the 50's and early 60's by the Bell Telephone System. All of them explore different aspects of science for a junior audience. As we explore the wonders of Hemo (Greek for blood), we learn not only about the life giving substance, but also the system that circulates it through the body. Along the way we meet members of the animal kingdom who serve as the audience for Dr. Research (Frank C. Baxter) and Mr. Fiction Writer (Richard Carlson) who explain the ins and outs of circulation and the nature of blood. It's not all sunshine and puppy dogs, however. Hemo isn't at all sure that science is the best discipline to explain him with, and refers to the circulatory system as "just plumbing."Sterling Holloway has a short, uncredited cameo as the projector operator at the beginning of the film. Also listen for the voices of Mel Blanc and June Foray in the animated sequences. If you're at all squeamish about peering inside the human body, then be prepared to look away.

This production and many of the other Bell Telephone science programs are available on DVD. Hemo is paired with one called Unchained Goddess. It's also available in full on YouTube. Part one (of two) is above.

Obscurity factor: 8 (on DVD and YouTube, remembered by some, otherwise largely forgotten)

Sammy Davis Jr., Zsa Zsa Gabor & Hedda Hopper in Alice in Wonderland (1966)

This Hanna Barbera production of Alice in Wonderland (subtitled What's a Nice Girl Like You Doing in a Place Like This?) is updated to contemporary suburban America. The familiar tale is changed to reflect the times beginning with Alice's (Janet Waldo) journey, which isn't down a rabbit hole, but through a television screen. She meets the requisite assortment of characters including the White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat (Davis Jr.), the Queen of Hearts (Gabor) and the Mad Hatter (Harvey Korman) who, in this version has a wife played by Hedda Hopper. Also featured are Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble (Alan Reed and Mel Blanc) as the Talking Caterpillar.

As far as I can tell, this production of the classic story isn't available on DVD. It can be seen in full on YouTube, however. Above is part one, uploaded by OneDareLand.

Obscurity factor: 9 (not on DVD, available on YouTube, not well remembered)

Alan Reed, Mel Blanc & Harvey Korman in The Man Called Flintstone (1966)

The curious similarity between secret agent Rock Slag and Fred Flintstone is uncanny. It's this similarity that lands Fred the job of filling in for Slag when he's injured in Bedrock. His assignment is to stop the terrible Green Goose from destroying the world and that quest takes him to Paris and Rome.

MoviePosterShop.com

This full length feature is the first one starring the popular characters and, though silly, has a flashy sixties style to it. Listen for the voice of Harvey Korman as Chief Mountmore. Also featured are voice artists Janet Waldo and Paul Frees.

This is marginally well known to the general public and very well known to fans of The Flintstones and fans of cartoons in general. It's available on DVD and can be watched on Veoh. Above are the opening credits, uploaded to YouTube by alexmystyleno3.

Obscurity factor: 2 (somewhat known to the general public, on DVD and Veoh)

Mel Blanc in To Itch His Own (1959)

Angelo is tired. He's been working too hard as the primary attraction at Sam's circus, so he decides to take a nice vacation on some dog in the country. Hilarity ensues when the dog next door tries to bully Angelo's vacation rental.

This is one of those one-off shorts from Warner Bros. directed by Chuck Jones. It's short on dialog but long on comedy. It was uploaded to YouTube by nano316.

Obscurity factor: 7 (has small legion of die hard fans, otherwise forgotten, not on DVD that I can find, on YouTube)

Mel Blanc in Wild Wild World (1960)

This Warner Brother's cartoon with a pre-historical setting came out the same year as The Flintstones, though predates the debut date of the latter show. Unlike that series, which took its cue from The Honeymooners, this show found inspiration in another television show of the time - Wide Wide World hosted by Dave Garroway. It has a fond place in my heart. I remember watching this one on Saturday mornings. The premise is that a pre-historical film has been found depicting life in the Cro-Magnan era. We see the happy Cro-Magnans running around, interacting with dinosaurs and building cities much like our modern ones today. The social commentary is thick and heavy with a light touch.

This one-off short is rarely seen today, though it's available as an extra on the Looney Toons Golden Collection: Volume 6, and on YouTube, thanks to an upload by Sanek1994.

Obscurity factor: 8 (vaguely remembered, on DVD and YouTube)

Mel Blanc in I Was A Teenage Thumb (1963)

Obscurity factor: 8

This 1963 one-off cartoon from Warner Brothers has the Chuck Jones stamp all over it. George and his wife Prunhilda want a child in the worst way. Prunhilda knits booties until the home is inundated with them. One day, a passing wizard - Ralph K. Merlin Jr. - overhears their plight and answers Prunhilda's wish for a child, even one only as large as her thumb. The happy, if nonplussed couple is presented with Tom. Through a series of remarkable circumstances he becomes a knight in King Arthur's court.

Like many one-offs, this short can be found on Warner Brothers compliation DVDs, but it can be hard to pinpoint which ones. The full short above was uploaded by dimitarlull to VBox7.com - a Bulgarian YouTube. It takes a while to load, so while you're waiting, have a look at the clip below, which was cut from the broadcast version, presumably because they didn't want irate parents calling the network and yelling at them about their children running around saying "ass".

The clip above was uploaded to YouTube by Itclassics.

Obscurity factor: 8 (occasionally screened, hard to find, marginally remembered)

Mel Blanc in Chimp and Zee (1968)

Obscurity factor: 9

Not to be confused with the 2001 book of the same name by Lawrence Anholt, this 1968 short dates back to the reorganization of the Warner Brothers animation studio. It's a one-off, featuring a boy, his rare blue-tailed monkey and a hunter who wants the monkey as a trophy. It's the usual cartoon fare, with suspended boulders, hollow logs and angry elephants, but has the distinction of being voiced by Mel Blanc.

It's unclear whether this one is available on DVD in one of the WB compilations, but you can watch it in its entirety on YouTube. It's above, uploaded by jgbennie.

Obscurity factor: 9 (orphaned characters, never seen again, largely forgotten, available on YouTube)

Mel Blanc & Pat Woodell in Bunny & Claude (1968)

Obscurity factor: 9

This animated short was inspired by the success of Bonnie and Clyde (1967). In it, we meet Bunny and Claude, two outlaw rabbits who rob carrot patches. They're pursued by the sheriff who can never seem to get the upper hand. Their catch phrase was "we rob carrot patches," a parody of the films "we rob banks."

Bunny and Claude appeared in two shorts, the above eponymous title and The Great Carrot-Train Robbery, below.

These animated shorts are hard to find. Because shorts are always sold as compilations on DVD, it's hard to tell if they've been released. You can, however, watch both on YouTube, thanks to uploads by jgbennie.

Obscurity factor: 9 (largely forgotten, unclear whether they're on DVD, available on YouTube)

Paul Lynde & Mel Blanc in The Perils of Penelope Pitstop (1969)

Obscurity factor: 5

Penelope Pitstop (Janet Waldo) is a fabulously wealthy heiress and race car driver. Her estate is administered by Sylvester Sneekly (Lynde) who, unbeknownst to her is also her arch nemesis The Hooded Claw. Each episode features Penelope being targeted by Sneekly with a series of dastardly traps and torments. Riding to her rescue are the Ant Hill Gang, a septet of pint sized gangster types and their heroic car, Chugaboom.

This animated series, based on the silent film series, The Perils of Pauline, was produced by Hanna/Barbara and lasted one season. There are 17 episodes. Above is part one of Jungle Jeopardy, in which we find Penelope at Sneekly's mercy on a tropical island. It's been uploaded by nayeem03. The complete series is available on DVD and several other episodes are also available on YouTube.

Obscurity factor: 5 (known to H.B. fans and animation buffs, otherwise largely forgotten, on DVD)

Paul Lynde & Mel Blanc in Where's Huddles (1970)

Obscurity factor: 8

The world of professional football was the setting for this summer replacement series with some similarities to The Flintstones - it had a prime time slot and featured the voice of Wilma Flintstone (Jean Vander Pyl) as Marge, Ed's wife. Best friends Ed Huddles (Cliff Norton) and Bubba McCoy (Blanc) were members of the Rhinos professional football team and lived next door to each other. On the other side of Ed's house lived Claude Pertwee (Lynde), who was always doing his best to throw a wrench into the works of whatever plans were on the table for Ed and Bubba that particular day. Though the character Lynde plays is a not-so-subtle jab at gay men, the series still has some fun moments in it. In the episode below, he's apoplectic about the boys plan to install a pool in Ed's back yard.

Though this series didn't have much of a life after the 10 weeks it played on CBS in the summer of 1970, it did spawn a comic book that ran for 3 issues and can occasionally be seen on the cartoon cable channels. A few episodes are available on YouTube. The one above - The Swimming Hole - was uploaded by patricktoons. The series is not available on DVD.

Obscurity factor: 8 (largely forgotten, not on DVD, on YouTube and occasionally aired on TV)

Jack Benny in The Mouse that Jack Built (1959)

Obscurity factor: 6

In the 1950's, Jack Benny had a very popular television show and was a huge star from his work on radio and in film. At the time, Warner Brothers were experimenting with making animated versions of television stars - they had already done The Honey Mousers - and his sly, gentle style of comedy translates very well to the medium. In this short, we get to see Jack interact with Rochester, his butler and Mary his fiance, all as animated mice. They make plans to go out and are tricked into going to the Kit Kat Klub, a night club the household cat has set up inside his mouth.

These cartoons are fun examples of an alternate take on the popular culture of the day. The trend continued into the 60's with episodes of shows like The Flintstones featuring Samantha Stevens from Bewitched and, infamously, Ann Margrock. This short is available on the Looney Toons: Golden Collection, Volume 3 DVD.

Obscurity factor: 6 (available on DVD, somewhat forgotten)

Spotlight on Mel Blanc

Mel Blanc, the man of 1000 voices was truly a force of nature. He worked steadily for over 60 years in radio, film and television, and at one point it was estimated that over 2 million people heard his voice every single day. His early career was spent in radio, working with such luminaries as Jack Benny and eventually transitioned into voice work for animation. He is, of course, best known as the voice of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Yosemite Sam, but few people would know his face. His long career at the top of the voice acting field gave him few opportunities to show it. Below are a few clips of him in the flesh.

This is part two of an episode of The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis from 1959. Mel plays Mr. Zigler, the tailor. Also look for Warren Beatty. It was uploaded to YouTube by Matthias1949.

Here's Mel, capitalizing on his little known face in a 1970's American Express television commercial, uploaded by blegume.

Of course, I couldn't leave you without an example of his voice work. Here's Mel doing what he was known best for. In Duck Amuck, uploaded by Sephraith21000, he plays both Daffy and Bugs.

There is so much about Mel Blanc on the internet. He continues to be an inspiration to young vocal talent today. If you're interested you can find out all about him on IMDB and Wikipedia, and if you haven't had enough of his work, here's the link to a little seen film he did for the Dallas Freeway System back in 1970. Jack Benny once said "There are only five real people in Hollywood. Everybody else is Mel Blanc." That just might have been true.

Judy Garland & Robert Goulet in Gay Purr-ee (1963)

This will be the third in Brini's Obscurity Factory screening series for Monday, March 28th. It's really an obscure classic. Judy Garland plays Mewsette, a simple French country cat who happens to be very beautiful. She yearns for the sophistication of Paris and decides to make her way there, much to the chagrin to her virile boyfriend Jaune Tom (Goulet). When he finds out she's left, he and his sidekick Robsepierre (Red Buttons) set out to find her. They aren't in time to save her from the clutches of Meowrice and his evil band of alley cats who want to sell Mewsette off to the highest bidder as a mail order bride.

Featured in the film is a charming original score by E.Y. Harburg and Harold Arlen. The animation was spearheaded by the Chuck Jones team. Look for a beautiful sequence of paintings done in the style of famous artists featuring Mewsette. Also look... or listen rather for Hermione Gingold, Morey Amsterdam and Mel Blanc in the cast.

This film is rarely screened anymore, though it is available on DVD. It can also be watched (albeit with commentary by a Disney fan) on YouTube, but you're better off coming to the screening on Monday if you're in New York. The trailer can be seen above, uploaded to YouTube by TheManThatGetAway. The poster above can be bought at MoviePosterShop.com

Obscurity factor: 5 (fondly remembered by many from their childhood, available on DVD, rarely screened)

Spotlight on The Goofy Gophers

When it comes to manners and politeness, no one can beat Mac and Tosh. These two little upper crust rodents who are frequently confused with Disney's Chip and Dale were minor characters in the Warner Brothers cartoon stable beginning in 1947. Unlike their Disney counterparts, they never bickered or competed with each other. These two woodland creatures (one or both of whom were voiced by Mel Blanc) prided themselves on their civility. They're said to be based on character actors Franklin Pangborn and Edward Everett Horton. Their first short subject together was the eponymous The Goofy Gophers. Mac and Tosh matched wits against a nameless dog (somewhat reminiscent of Wile E. Coyote) whose job was to guard a prized vegetable garden. In the grand tradition of cartoons, they, of course, wiped the figurative floor with him. They made a series of 8 shorts during the time Warner Brothers had an animation studio. Below is Lumber Jerks from 1955, uploaded to the Romanian YouTube, 220.ro. Here the boys are pitted against a lumber mill and furniture factory that has appropriated the tree they live in.

In the same year, they were paired with Elmer Fudd, who was furnishing his home and happened to pick a chest that they had chosen to use for nut storage. Pests for Guests is uploaded to YouTube by jgbennie.

 

The gophers have been retired, for the most part since their last short in 1965 (Tease for Two). There have been a few cameos in later films, but they remain mostly forgotten characters in the WB stable. They're available on some of the WB cartoon compilation DVDs, and you can find several of their shorts on YouTube and other video aggregating sites, as above. It's a shame they're not better remembered. The world needs their civility.

Butch Patrick in The Phantom Tollbooth 1970

We all remember Butch Patrick as the little werewolf child of Herman and Lilly Munster. What few know is that Mr. Patrick had been having, and has continued to have a rather prolific career. In 1970 he starred as Milo in the Chuck Jones animated film of Norman Juster's children's classic The Phantom Tollbooth. Bored, Milo has sort of given up on life at the tender age of about 9. One day, an enormous package appears in his room, and magically unwraps itself to reveal a tollbooth and toy car. With nothing else to do, Milo decides to drive through the toll booth. He comes out on the other side as an animated version of himself, and on a road to Expectations. As he proceeds through this new land he learns lessons about navigating the ins and outs of life and interactions with others and regains his curiosity and desire to rejoin life. The film is beautifully illustrated by the Chuck Jones team, with marvelously witty characters and voiced by such animation luminaries as Mel Blanc. The style of illustration differs greatly from the book, however, so fans of the book are usually disappointed by the film. If you're coming to it fresh, though, it's fun to watch. Also listen for Hans Conried (The 10,000 Fingers of Dr. T.) as King Azaz and The Mathmagician.

This was the last animated film to come out of MGM and it was delayed in release due to the internal problems going on there at the time. The film was actually completed in 1969. It's not available on DVD yet, but a digitally remastered release is in the works. It was released on VHS in the early 90's, and copies are still floating around. In the mean time, you can watch the entire film on YouTube as uploaded by lesinistre. The first installment is above.

Obscurity factor: 8 (not on DVD, available on VHS and YouTube)